The military spouse experience of living alongside their serving/veteran partner with a mental health issue: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Senior, Emma; Clarke, Amanda; Wilson, Gemma

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0285714

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Family functioning can also be negatively affected by the veteran’s separation from family for extended periods of time leading to a broader lack of connection ( 25 ). Furthermore, such a lack of connection may have negative effects on marital quality, relationship satisfaction, and the mental health of all military family members ( 26 ). Communication patterns, relationship quality, and parenting may also be impacted by the psychological distress of the veteran ( 12 , 27 , 28 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal-assisted interventions for military families: a systematic review

Nieforth,

Leighton

2024

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe incorporation of animals into interventions focused on military families is a relatively new concept. Though animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have been studied in the context of military veterans, few studies incorporate members of the military family or focus on the family members’ experiences.MethodsThis systematic review investigates the effects of AAIs on the wellbeing of military family members beyond the veteran themselves through three aims: (1) by describing the characteristics of AAIs for military family members, (2) by evaluating the quality of the methodology present within the current literature, and (3) by identifying key concepts and knowledge gaps within the findings reported to date.ResultsA total of nine articles met the criteria to be included in the review. Though the inclusion criteria and search terms included all types of animal-assisted interventions, the only interventions represented were service dogs (n = 4) and equine-assisted services (n = 5).DiscussionFindings suggest AAIs could be beneficial in areas such as communication, relational bonds, and psychosocial well-being. Though additional research is necessary, AAIs may be an effective complementary intervention for military families.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal-assisted interventions for military families: a systematic review

Nieforth,

Leighton

2024

Front. Public Health

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“…One systematic review focused on military personnel with mental disorders - regardless of deployment. The authors found negative influences on intimate relationships and psychological/psychosocial effects on the spouse ( 26 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of life-threatening military incidents during deployments abroad on the relationships between military personnel and their families

Wesemann,

Rowlands,

Renner

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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IntroductionThe influence of deployments on family relationships has hardly been investigated. Following a recently proposed new research strategy, military personnel with and without deployment-related life-threatening military incidents during deployment were compared. The hypothesis was that partner and family relationships of military personnel who experienced such an event would deteriorate more.MethodsThis study included N = 255 military personnel who had a romantic partner (n = 78 of them had children) when deployed to Afghanistan. Of these, n = 68 military personnel experienced a deployment-related critical event during the deployment, n = 187 did not. Partnership quality was assessed using a semi-structured pre- and post-deployment interview.ResultsThe partner relationships of military personnel who experienced a deployment-related life-threatening military incident during deployment broke up significantly more often. The partner relationships of all military personnel deteriorated significantly, with greater deterioration after deployment in the group who faced such incidents. These results were independent of age, rank or number of previous deployments. In addition, there was a significant deterioration in the relationships between all military personnel and their children with greater deterioration after deployment in the group who faced such incidents.ConclusionLife-threatening military incidents during a deployment abroad appear to have a considerable influence on the quality and stability of the partner and family relationships of military personnel. These findings can be used to inform the development of specific pre- and post-deployment measures and training.

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Being a parent of a soldier is a challenging experience – stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of Israeli soldiers

Savitsky,

Shvartsur

2024

Stress and Health

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At any given moment, a notable proportion of parents worldwide have at least one child serving in the military. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the sample of parents of Israeli soldiers and to assess the difference in this prevalence by type of service (combat vs. non‐combat) and other demographic characteristics of parents and soldiers. A cross‐sectional study of a convenience sample of 202 Israeli parents who were interviewed during January‐September 2023. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS‐21) was used to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress (with cut‐off points of ≥5, ≥4, and ≥8, respectively). Having depression, anxiety, or stress was defined as psychological distress. Parents' demographics and child's service characteristics were included in the multivariable logistic regression model, with psychological distress as a dependent variable. Almost a quarter (22.8%) of parents experienced distress, defined as having high depression, anxiety, or stress score. In a multivariable model, combat service (vs. non‐combat) was significantly associated with distress: parents of combat soldiers were four times more likely to report distress than parents of non‐combat soldiers (OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.3–11.8). Highly classified service preventing the child from sharing information with the parents was significantly associated with distress (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2–5.3). Most distressed parents (78.3%) did not seek professional help, with the vast majority of those seeking assistance were female. Given the substantial proportion of parents suffering from mental distress found in this study, especially parents of combat soldiers and those serving in highly classified positions, healthcare professionals should be aware of parents' difficulties, be proactive in gathering information about their mental well‐being, and be prepared to provide professional help.

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The military spouse experience of living alongside their serving/veteran partner with a mental health issue: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Cited by 4 publications

References 56 publications

Animal-assisted interventions for military families: a systematic review

Animal-assisted interventions for military families: a systematic review

Impact of life-threatening military incidents during deployments abroad on the relationships between military personnel and their families

Being a parent of a soldier is a challenging experience – stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of Israeli soldiers

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